Mr & Mrs Malfoy
by Dragon's Mudblood
Summary: AU. Based on movie 'Mr & Mrs Smith'. Hermione and Draco get married not knowing they belong to opposing organizations. 6 years later, things aren't well and the truth starts coming out...
1. Meetings and Missions

**A/N: This story is AU. Hermione and Draco went to different schools though it won't be mentioned where. Dumbledore is alive and the head of the Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort is alive but he looks like an older version of Tom Riddle- you know, the human one; no red eyes, baldness, snake features, etc. . . .**

**Disclaimer for story: The plot of this story is borrowed by the movie Mrs & Mrs Smith. I used some of the lines from the movie as well, so I own nothing at all . . . except for – well, you'll find out in the end. **

**-!-!-!-**

The Leaky Cauldron was heavily guarded tonight. It seemed as though the ministry had had a tip off.

This left two people in a very difficult and desperate situation. They needed to get in but it would look suspicious if they entered alone.

Damn that informer.

One of the two was a young woman of 19, Hermione Granger. She belonged to a secret organization called 'The Order of the Phoenix'. Currently, she was on a mission to get a very valuable package from someone who was staying at the Leaky Cauldron.

The other person was a man of 20, Draco Malfoy. He was a Death Eater, which was just what people from his private association were referred to as. Currently, he was on a mission to kill a certain person who was staying at the Leaky Cauldron because they had some very valuable information that was not supposed to be made public.

He was just a few feet away from the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron when he noticed the tight security placed by the ministry. There was no way he would be able to go inside without drawing attention. He noticed someone else, a woman, who also seemed alarmed at the security.

Deciding to take a chance, he walked over to her and grabbed her hand. She turned instantly and was about to put up a struggle but he bent down and whispered something in her ear. "Just play along until we're inside."

She immediately calmed down. He couldn't believe his luck at having another chance at getting inside and being successful on his mission.

At the same time, she was also thinking the same thing. At first, she was ready to hex him to oblivion when he had grabbed her hand but when he mentioned getting inside, she was determined to co-operate seeing as this might be her only chance to complete her mission.

Together, they went inside. As expected, as soon as they set foot into the Leaky Cauldron a ministry official came to them.

"State your names and reason to be here." He spoke in a curt manner

"My name is Draco." He decided to leave out his last name, just in case. "And this is my girlfriend." He pointed towards the female beside him.

She quickly caught onto his idea. "Hermione"

"We're meeting someone here soon."

The official looked doubtful about letting them go without further inquiry but when some others entered, he gave them a curt nod and left.

Draco quickly got a room and they made their way upstairs, hand in hand, just in case. As soon as the door closed though, they let go of each other's hands and there was an awkward silence.

Both didn't know what to say. After all, they couldn't just come out and tell the other that they were undercover spies belonging to opposing teams nor that they were here for the same reason, same mission. Heck, even they didn't know it.

The silence was getting more and more awkward as the time ticked by so it had to end.

"Hi," they said at the same time, causing them both to start laughing.

Hermione stopped laughing first. "This is weird. We're complete strangers-"

"We're complete strangers who just helped each other."

"Yes, well, I'm Hermione Granger." She extended her hand.

He shook her hand. "Draco Malfoy"

"Nice to meet you and thank you for-"

"Same here."

"You really do have a bad habit of cutting people off."

"Can't help it."

She gave a small smile. "Well I suppose we should, er, get to our businesses."

"Yes . . . how about meeting me later, say for dinner?" Draco couldn't help but ask. He had taken an immediate liking to Hermione.

Even Hermione was startled by his invitation but thought it best if she agreed. After all, he had just unconsciously made her work a lot easier. "Sure."

"Great."

And both left to attend to their 'businesses'.

**-!-!-!-**

Hector McNat was getting quite impatient and scared. He was supposed to be meeting someone here, who he wasn't really sure about. The person was either late or had gotten caught which would mean that he would also be in trouble.

A sudden knock jolted him from his train of thoughts. He went to the door and cautiously opened it. No one was there yet he did feel someone brush by him. Startled, he closed the door and turned just in time to see someone coming out from under an invisibility cloak.

"Hello," said the voice was of a female. "I do believe you have something for me." She was dressed all in black robe with a black handkerchief covering half of her face so that only her brown eyes and brown hair could be seen.

He handed a package to the woman in front of him and about to turn and leave when a loud _POP_ was heard. A man in a hooded black cloak and mask stood before him, eyes poking through the slits in the mask he wore; a Death Eater.

Another _POP _signalled that the woman was gone. However, the hooded man didn't seem to care. His attention was fully on Hector. He advanced slowly towards him, drawing his wand out at the same time. Hector backed away fearfully but that wouldn't save him.

Before he knew it, green light emitted from the Death Eater's wand and made its way towards him, hitting him squarely in the chest. He died hearing the sound of a _POP_.

**-!-!-!-**

Hermione was in high spirits. She had succeeded on her mission. The package was now in the hands of the Order. Humming happily, she started to get ready for her date with Draco.

Draco was also quite happy about completing his mission. He was on his way to meet Hermione for their date. After knocking on the door of their room - which he had not gone into since he had left from it - he waited. Seconds later, the beautiful brunette came out in a casual red summer dress.

He smiled before boldly taking her hand into his own. She smiled back.

They walked down the stairs and through the bar until finally arriving in Diagon Alley. They walked in silence a little more when suddenly Draco broke it.

"You want to have ice cream instead of dinner?" he asked, pointing towards Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlour.

"Alright."

They walked to the ice cream parlour and received their ice-cream promptly after ordering. Small talk was made while they licked away the creamy liquid when suddenly it started raining heavily.

Everyone started running into the buildings immediately, leaving the streets completely deserted. Draco had just stood up too, when he noticed Hermione still sitting down.

"Come on, or we'll get soaked."

Hermione just laughed. "Too late." She was right. By now, they were both soaked to the skin.

She stood up and took Draco's offered hand but instead of him leading her inside, she led him to the middle of the empty street. He just looked at her in disbelief.

He had just opened his mouth to say something when she started twirling around. A few seconds later, she turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, swaying softly.

At that moment, he thought that all logical sense had left her but he still wrapped his arms around her waist and began to sway with her. Their lips met slowly and fireworks erupted.

When they finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily. Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and led her back to the bar, up the stairs, and inside their room. Locking the door he turned back to her.

Next thing either knew, their lips were back on each others and clothes were flying off.

**-!-!-!-**

Hermione awoke from her sweet slumber quite late. Midday she'd assume. She noticed that the bed was empty. Surely Draco had not left after what happened last night?

Wrapping the bed sheet around herself, she got out of bed just as the door to the room opened. Draco walked in with the _Daily Prophet_ in his hand.

"You want to see?" he asked.

She nodded mutely and he handed the paper over to her. The heading on the front page told about the murder of some guy and that's all she got to read until Draco cleared his throat causing her to look up.

"About last night, I-"

"I had a nice time."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "That's my habit."

She smiled. "I learn fast."

He smiled right back "I had a good time too"

And once again, his lips were on hers.

**-!-!-!-**

"YOU WHAT? YOU'RE WHAT?!"

Draco ignored the outburst, and continued punching the bag in front of him. Sure, he was a wizard with a wand but sometimes it really helped to be able to defend yourself without a magical piece of wood. As for the outburst, he had expected it anyway.

"Are you _mad_? Honestly! I think you've taken a few too many blows to the head. Or were you drunk? There is no way someone like you would ask _that_ purposely . . . unless you were insane."

"Calm down, Blaise. All I did was propose to a girl that I really like - might even love a little. She agreed and now I'm getting married. So cut the rant."

"To hell with ranting! You're supposed to be my best friend and as a friend I'm giving you advice that tying the knot would be wrong. Besides, you're a fellow Death Eater. How do you think she's going to take that?"

Draco stayed silent, still punching the bag.

"Oh, I see. You haven't told her and are not going to tell her anytime soon either. That could cause problems. She'd get suspicious of where you go, sometimes in the _middle of the night_ or for _months_! Where would you tell her you work? What are you going to say to that?"

"I've got it all sorted out. All you need to do is be my best man at the wedding."

"Who are you inviting? If this becomes public, you'll have more than just-"

Draco cut him off by habit. "It's a small wedding. Only a select few are invited from both mine and Hermione's side. There won't be a reception since we'll be off to some island for our honeymoon straight after the wedding."

"Hermione, eh? So that's the name of the girl you're falling for. But still . . . think about this again. Maybe you're hurrying into the whole marriage thing."

"I'm done thinking and my mind is made up. I've known her for a while now and I think that's long enough. She's beautiful, smart, sexy . . . she's brilliant."

"You're turning soft! Listen to yourself! Heck, Listen to me! Draco. You are a _Death Eater._ She's going to find out one day and then it'll all be over. Is there a point in starting something that won't end well? It won't work out."

"Will you stop jinxing my marriage already? Just tell me if you'll be best man."

"Fine," Blaise Zabini agreed grudgingly.

Draco smiled his thanks and went back to punching the bag in front of him.

**-!-!-!-**

"And you agreed?" asked a shocked Ginny Weasley.

"I couldn't say no; he proposed so romantically. He said he was falling in love with me and I think I am too . . ." Hermione said with a dreamy sigh.

"That's all great and everything, but marriage? You really honestly think you can spend the rest of your life with him?"

"Honestly, Ginny? Yes, I think I can."

Ginny still wasn't relieved though. "But what about the Order? Are you leaving us? If not, what'll you him about your career? What if he finds out and leaves you or something?"

"Why, Ginerva, aren't you full of questions," Hermione mused. "Don't worry, okay? I've got it all sorted out. Now I need you to be my maid of honour at the wedding."

"What will-"

"Please, Ginny?"

"Fine, Hermione," Ginny complied with a sigh.

**-!-!-!-**

A month later, on a beautiful autumn morning, wedding bells were heard. The new couple strode out of the church, arm in arm, ready to begin a new life together. Draco in expensive black dress robes with Hermione in white periwinkle dress robes stood and smiled as they were congratulated on their impending nuptials. And while they had convinced everyone that their union would be happy and blissful, the oncoming years of marriage would prove them very wrong . . .

**-!-!-!-**

**Reviews will be appreciated!**


	2. Married Life

**6 Years Later . . .**

Whoever said that love grows with time must have been out of their minds. Or maybe they had never experienced it themselves and just said it because it would make them sound philosophical.

The idiot.

This was definitely not the case for Draco and Hermione. Their marriage was great for the first year but then things started falling apart. Over the course of the next five years, it seemed as though their lives ran on a schedule.

Everyday was the same.

Hermione woke up first, washed up and went down to the kitchens to make breakfast. No matter how much Draco had insisted, she refused to enslave house elves.

Meanwhile Draco would wash up and came down to the aroma of coffee and pancakes. He would go up to Hermione upon entering the kitchen and give her a little kiss on the cheek along with a, "Morning", then seat himself at the table to eat. His kisses weren't even affectionate; they were just part of the daily plan.

By 10, both would leave for work. According to Hermione, Draco went to the Department of Mysteries. According to Draco, Hermione would leave for the S.P.E.W community that she was the founder of.

Basically, they were living a life of deceit.

They would arrive home at random times, Hermione always before Draco, even if it was by two minutes though.

How?

She had a sensor on their manor grounds. Since nobody was able to apparate directly into the manor – for security reasons – they always had to apparate outside the gates. As soon as he set foot into the grounds, she'd be alerted and would floo home straight away.

When Draco got home, he'd give her another unaffectionate kiss on the cheek. They'd have dinner and go to bed.

The next day, the cycle repeated itself and every day after that too.

**-!-!-!-**

Neville Longbottom was a little too fidgety today. He was always fidgety but today he was overdoing it. He wouldn't tell anyone anything. He just sat there fidgeting with stationary objects.

It was extremely irritating.

You could almost hear everyone breathe a relived sigh when Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, called him into his office.

Ten minutes later, Neville trotted out of the minister's office carrying a small package, looking rather scared. But no one gave him another look. Neville was always scared.

This time however, it was in all righteousness.

**-!-!-!-**

Everyday Hermione had to watch her best friends lead their romantic married lives and everyday she'd be burning with envy. Harry Potter would come to drop off his wife, Ginny Potter, at headquarters as per usual. Since Harry was an auror, he couldn't stay and had to get to the ministry but not before a very loving goodbye.

It was just like any other day but after last night, Hermione couldn't help but become depressed.

_**Flashback**_

_Hermione and Draco had gone to a party that the evening. It was a social event that they had to go to as to keep up their prominent status._

_They had been sitting on one of the sofas, Hermione chatting away to a woman nearby and Draco to the man beside him, when the lady complimented on Hermione's dress._

_After the party, when they apparated home, she was about to go get changed when Draco caught her wrist._

"_You looked nice today." He smiled as he left her hand_

_That was it. _

_Never had she been more heartbroken. Someone else had said it to Hermione before. It had taken someone else's words to convince Draco to say that one little compliment. _

_And that was it. No kiss or perhaps something more . . . _

_When she went to shower later, she put a silencing spell on the door and wept her heart out and even she couldn't tell the difference between her tears and the water that flowed down her face._

_**End of Flashback**_

Harry had left so when Ginny turned to see Hermione, she received a shock to find her friend looking forlorn.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" she asked, concerned.

Hermione shook her head and managed a small shaky smile. "It's nothing really, Gin. Just a few stupid marital problems."

"Who do you think you're fooling? I've known you long enough to know that it's something more than some 'stupid marital problems'," Ginny said firmly.

Hermione hesitated for a second but decided to go ahead and tell Ginny everything. If ever, now was a time for her best friend's support. She launched into what happened had happened the day before while Ginny listened.

"So basically, you're upset that he didn't compliment you first? That's it?" Ginny asked, confused.

"Exactly! That's just it. We are no longer in the love-filled relationship we were once in. Now it seems as though our lives run on a programme. Our spark is gone! And I just can't help but feel so goddamn guilty for keeping things from him!" Hermione was clearly getting upset again.

"But you don't need to feel guilty!" Ginny quickly said, lest Hermione do something rash. "After all, has he ever talked to you about his work?"

"He can't. He's an unspeakable," Hermione mumbled.

"That's beside the point. He doesn't have to tell you what he does, just how his day goes."

Hermione could not reply to that.

"Maybe . . . Hermione . . . have you ever thought that he might be . . . cheating on you?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I've thought about it and I know he isn't."

"How can you be sure?" Ginny asked, perplexed.

"When a man cheats, he either starts completely avoiding his girl or else he starts caring for her more because he wants to ease his guilty conscience," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

All Ginny could do was laugh.

"Where did you read that? Some stupid magazine?"

"No . . . I read it in a psychology book"

Ginny only laughed harder.

"Ginny! You're supposed to be helping!"

"I'm sorry!" Finally when the last of the laughs had passed, she spoke again. "You shouldn't believe everything you read in a book Hermione. Okay, let's just go with the idea that he isn't cheating. Then what?"

"I-I don't know," Hermione replied miserably.

"Do you love him?"

"I don't know," Hermione whispered. "There isn't any love anymore."

"God, Hermione! You have to get yourself together. I heard Dumbledore was going to assign you a new mission today. You need to be strong for it!"

As if on cue, a flash of flames appeared in front of Hermione and a phoenix was visible, with a letter attached to its leg. Hermione reached for it and unfolded it. It read:

_Hermione,_

_You are to immediately start on a new mission. For this task, you must capture one Neville Longbottom, and bring him back to headquarters. The location of Longbottom is currently unknown so you will need to research. Be careful and I wish you luck._

_Albus Dumbledore_

"I guess this will take things off my mind," Hermione said as she folded the letter back.

**-!-!-!-**

Meanwhile, Draco could not get the image of Hermione out of his mind. She had looked stunning last night and he regretted being so hesitant just to tell her or even do anything about it.

Years of marriage had definitely created a few barriers between the two.

He'd think more about it later, though. Right now, he had a mission from Voldemort to get started on.

**-!-!-!-**

It was late. Hermione was at home at the moment, sitting on a plush couch, and thinking about her marriage.

What had gone wrong?

How did it fall apart so soon?

Had they been cursed or jinxed? It wouldn't be that surprising considering they were magic and all . . .

She thought back to a conversation she and Ginny had had a while ago.

_**Flashback**_

"_It's been six years since you got married. Why don't you have any children?" Ginny had asked curiously when she spotted Hermione playing with her daughter, Lily._

_Hermione's head had turned so fast, it was surprising she hadn't pulled a muscle. "What do you mean?" She had asked nervously._

"_You know what I mean. Why aren't you a mum too? I mean, Harry and I married only two years ago and we've already been blessed with a child yet you still don't even have one even after six years."_

"_I . . . we . . . we're just not ready for children . . . yet . . ."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_It's nothing really . . ."_

"_C'mon. You can tell me"_

_That girl could always get the truth out of her and soon Hermione found herself telling Ginny how she had been using contraceptive spells every time. She didn't want a child to come in the way of her career and Draco seemed to share her opinion. Besides, Draco and she hadn't been all that intimate lately either._

"_But what about now?" Ginny had asked. "Wouldn't a child bring you closer and also solve your problems?"_

_**Flashback Ends**_

The idea was definitely worth considering but then again, baby making didn't happen alone.

Merlin, her life was messed up.

It was around that time that a _WHOOSH_ was heard and Draco appeared out of the fire. But what had happened to Draco? His robes were torn and bloodied, there was a cut on his left cheek and bruises seemed to be appearing on his exposed skin.

Hermione rushed to him and caught him before he fell over. As soon as he saw her though, he swore loudly and attempted to jump back into the fire but she stopped him. It would be foolish for an already wounded man to jump into a roaring fire and continue to set himself on fire. He fell unconscious in her arms.

Getting out her wand, Hermione levitated him to their bed. Thank God she had taken healing courses back at school.

She took off his robes and threw them on the ground. His shirt was already so torn that all she had to do was peel it away. There were many cuts on his chest along with a few gashes. When she touched them though, her skin didn't quite come in contact with his. She tried again but the same effect happened again._ There was a concealment charm on his chest,_ she thought. With a flick of her wand, her theory was proven. Many scars adorned his skin, big and small. Some looked quite recent too.

She flinched at the sight of them. How could she not have known? Why didn't he ever tell her? No wonder he always wore his shirt to bed. Shaking her head to clear it, she turned back to the task at hand. She quickly cleaned all his wounds with conjured bits of alcohol soaked cottons. He winced every time she touched a wound, even in his state of unconsciousness. Next, she closed all the wounds through spells. Lastly, she cleaned his face with a wet towel and that was it.

Now he just needed sleep. She decided that she also needed some sleep so she slipped into the covers beside him. Moving to get closer, she ran her hand over his chest. It felt hard and rough. If only she had known before. What had he been doing at the Department of Mysteries that caused him so much injury? Surely nothing that dangerous was involved.

But the suspicious thing was that the wounds looked like they were done by a wand or a human; like he had been in a duel. She drifted off to sleep thinking of her suspicions.

**-!-!-!-**

Draco awoke to the sun shining brightly in his face. He squeezed his already closed eyes even more as he tried to recall the events of last night. His body was aching slightly but he was oblivious to it having suffered a great deal more pain the previous night.

Let's see . . . he got caught up in a duel while on Death Eater duties. He got very injured so instead of apparating, he'd flooed over. Hermione had been in the room at the time and that was about the time he went out cold.

Hermione! He turned slightly to see her sleeping soundly beside him, resting a hand on his bare chest. His much _scarred_ bare chest. She had removed the concealment charm and now she knew. He looked over to her again.

_She must have been the one who healed me,_ he thought. How very loyal of her.

Unfortunately, when he tried to sit up, she awoke.

"How are you?" were her first words.

"Better," he replied.

"Thank Merlin. I got worried when I saw you last night. What happened?" she asked concerned.

"Just work," he said with a slight shrug and wince.

"Draco, your work is too dangerous. What are they having you do? Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that." She shook her head. "Try and be more careful in the future though." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, a genuine one, and left for the lavatory.

Draco smiled slightly. Finally they were off their normal, daily, boring schedule. Finally the seemingly infinite cycle ended.

But he was forgetting that today was a big day for him. And unbeknownst to him, it was also a big day for Hermione. It was the day they would both begin the mission that would forever change their lives.

**-!-!-!-**

**Reviews will be appreciated!**


	3. The Truth's Out

As soon as Hermione reached the Order Headquarters, she began getting instructions from all over.

"You'll find the equipment in the attic," Hannah Abbot said.

"Mr. Ollivander has been called to check your wand. Make sure you meet him after your meeting with Dumbledore," said the dreamy voice of Luna Lovegood.

"Dumbledore's waiting for you in the dining room," Ginny said, accompanying her to the dining room. She left her at the door and then left.

"Good morning, sir," Hermione said when she entered.

"Good morning, Hermione. We have information on where you might find Mr. Longbottom. You shall be heading out to the Sahara Desert to catch him. We have an outhouse there, located somewhere near Libya. You will be staying there until his arrival. If you encounter anyone else, do not hesitate to move them out of the way. That will be all. Do not forget to see Mr. Ollivander after this and get your equipment. I wish you luck."

"Thank you, sir."

And she left to see the old wand maker. After it was confirmed that her wand was in perfectly good condition, Hermione headed to the attic to get her supplies. There, Susan Bones provided her with what she needed. After that, she apparated to the outhouse.

The heat of the Sahara was unbearable. She wondered how people travelled across it. Thank God for the shade provided by the outhouse. She started checking her weapons to pass time. Though she was a witch, it was mandatory that every agent also take along muggle weapons on a mission to use as back up. A few minutes went by and still there was no sign of life in the desert. Hermione was just resting her eyes for a few minutes when she heard a distinct _POP_ in the distance. Someone had apparated nearby.

Grabbing her wand and a gun, she stealthily made her way outside. Peeking around the house, she saw the back of a tall male figure. He was dressed in black robes with the hood pulled over his head, looking suspiciously like a Death Eater. Definitely not Neville Longbottom because he was supposed to be arriving with guard; plus, he didn't fit the description of the man standing in front of her either.

Moving forward with caution, she aimed her wand at him with her left hand and the gun with the right. _One, two three, Fire! _A curse and a bullet made its way toward him but he dived as soon as he heard the sound, thus dodging the attack. She fled behind the wall again, out of sight.

It seemed as though he had come prepared too, though. All was quiet for a minute so she decided to peek out again. Bad mistake. A curse barely missed her ear.

Their duel would have continued further had a loud noise from above not interrupted them. A helicopter was going above. Men in black robes and sunglasses could be seen and another man, fitting the description of Neville Longbottom, was sitting between them all, as if being shielded.

Both Hermione and the stranger started firing curses at the helicopter as soon as they saw it, however they all bounced off an invisible shield surrounding the helicopter allowing it to pass completely unharmed.

Cursing loudly, the man apparated with a _POP_. It took Hermione a little more time to comprehend what had happened and then she too apparated away. When she arrived at the Headquarters, she was immediately called to Dumbledore's office. Upon entering, she was met with him sitting down, a grave expression on his face.

"You've arrived empty-handed? Hermione, I must express my disappointment with you. I expected better."

"Sir, it wasn't my fault! There was also someone else there. They interrupted otherwise I would have succeeded," She argued.

"You should have been expecting something of that sort, Hermione. You have been working for nearly 10 years now. Surely you didn't think that it would be that easy. Like I told you before, Longbottom is wanted by many people. I also remember telling you to eliminate any competition."

She set her jaw to keep from arguing further.

"No matter." He stood up. "I want to get this mission out of the way quickly. I am giving you a week. After that, it will be given to someone else if you have not made any progress." He motioned for her to leave.

She strode out angrily, went outside headquarters and apparated home. This had been the most humiliating experience in all of her career. How dare Dumbledore tell her that he was going to give someone else that mission? She was the only one who had nearly enough experience for this kind of assignment.

Right now, she really needed some alcohol.

**-!-!-!-**

The Dark Lord did not deal well with failure. You were extremely lucky if you escaped death after displeasing him, however, when under the cruciatus curse, death always seemed like a much better option. At least that was how Draco felt. It had only been five minutes but it felt like it had been five millenniums - the pain was just too much, especially coming from a sneering, powerful, bastard of a wizard like Voldemort. Finally, he was allowed to go. Voldemort and the few Death Eaters in the room left while Draco lay panting on the floor.

15 minutes later, he had finally gathered enough strength to get up and apparate home, or rather, outside the manor gates because of the damn security reasons. Dragging himself inside, he saw that the lights were turned on meaning that Hermione was home. He really was in no mood to encounter her right now. He just wanted a warm bath to calm his aching muscles and then to hit the sack.

Then again, things never go like you plan them to.

He was just walking up the stairs when his wife came behind him. "Draco!" she cried as she saw him. "I didn't hear you come in." She wasn't slurring but she was swaying slightly so he steadied her.

"Hermione, have you been drinking?"

"Yes . . . but it's not my fault! If he hadn't gotten in the way, I wouldn't be in this situation!"

He could make no sense of what she was saying. Clearly the alcohol had gone to her head. He tried to guide her up the stairs but she could not manage that so he picked her up bridal style and began walking upstairs.

All while, Hermione was talking. "He had no right to say that, that stupid old coot. As if anyone else could do better. I have much more experience!"

Her words were unconsciously giving off a meaning to Draco. He decided to ask her about it when she was sober. For the time being, he dumped her on the bed and went to shower. When he returned, she was already asleep. Soon, he was too.

**-!-!-!-**

When Hermione awoke, the sun was just coming up. It felt like someone was playing drums inside her head and she was still in her clothes from the previous day. Also, her memory from the previous day was very blurry; she could remember nothing after apparating home.

The mission was still on her mind though. She needed a plan to make it successful and had only six days now. Quickly, she left the bed and after a short shower, she was in the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. Her failed mission from yesterday was still fresh in her mind.

First of all, she had to find out the identity of the one who had intruded upon her. Then, as Dumbledore had said, she would eliminate them. After a little more thinking, she finally thought of a way.

**-!-!-!-**

"Are you crazy, Hermione? Do you know the risk of getting caught?" Ginny shouted at her colleague and best friend.

"Calm down, Ginny. I've done this before, remember?" Hermione said, putting the chain around her neck.

"You had permission all those other times!"

"Stop worrying, Gin. I can take care of it. See you." Hermione turned the time turner in a circle to go back to the previous day and was gone.

She arrived at the outhouse just in time to see herself apparate in. While the other Hermione was getting ready, she cast a disillusion charm on herself and went to the place where she knew the man would appear minutes later.

As expected, he arrived soon enough. His back was to her so she went around him to see his face. What she saw was definitely something she was not expecting.

The handsome face of her husband, Draco Malfoy, unseeingly stared back at her.

**-!-!-!-**

Meanwhile, Draco was just getting up. He realized he had slept in but didn't really care. After all he had been through yesterday, he deserved the extra time in bed. He also realized that the other side of the bed was cold and empty. Hermione was long gone.

Getting up, he looked for a sign that she might still be home but saw and heard nothing. All he had wanted to do today was spend the day with her to get his mind off of the mission for a while but she had left for work. He decided he'd pick her up from there and take her out somewhere. After a quick shower, he apparated to the ministry.

The location for S.P.E.W was unknown to him. Luckily, there was an information centre at the ministry. A raven haired receptionist looked up when he entered and smiled.

"Hello, how may I help you?" she asked in a sugary voice.

"Could you tell me where S.P.E.W is located?" Draco asked.

"Spew?"

"No, S.P.E.W. Society that Protects Elf's Welfare or something like that."

"There is no such thing. At least, not at this ministry."

"Are you sure? Check again," he demanded.

She did. "I'm telling you, there is no spew business here."

Stunned, he asked, "Is Hermione Malfoy an employee of the ministry?"

"That information is strictly confidential."

"I'm her husband."

"Then why don't you know already?"

Draco was getting very frustrated with the woman now. "_Imperio_," he muttered. "Check if Hermione Malfoy is an employee of the ministry."

She nodded dumbly.

He smirked but it disappeared when she answered.

"Hermione Malfoy does not work at the ministry and never has."

If Hermione wasn't here and didn't work here then where the hell was she and what the hell did she do?

**-!-!-!-**

**Sorry that this is shorter than before but I promise the next one will be longer! I just really wanted to get this posted and updated. **

**Reviews will be appreciated!**


	4. Confrontations

In the deepest and darkest corner of Knockturn Alley, two cloaked individuals could be seen talking in hushed voices.

"You are sure about this?" one asked.

"Positive," the other replied.

"Alright then." He fished a couple of galleons out of his coat and dropped them into the outstretched hand of the person in front of him. With a final nod, he apparated away.

Blaise Zabini strolled down the path that led to Malfoy Manor, still not able to believe the information he had just received.

It was unbelievable but he hoped that Draco would believe it.

The again, it wouldn't exactly be easy for the poor bloke to find out that his wife was part of the enemy organization.

Or the fact that he would possibly have to eliminate her to get his next mission accomplished unless he wanted to endure the wrath of Voldemort.

**-!-!-!-**

Hermione practically raced towards the kitchen when she arrived home. The strong smell that something was burning lingered heavily in the air. As she got closer, she saw smoke coming from the kitchen. Coughing and blinking furiously to clear her eyes, she got inside, waved her wand and thought of a spell that would clear the smoke filled room. Instantly, the room was clear showing a surprise.

"Draco," Hermione said, dumbfounded. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi sweetheart," Draco replied. He backed away from the steaming pot on the stove and tucked his wand inside his robes. "As you can see, I tried making dinner for us today." He gave a small chuckle at Hermione's shocked expression. "Surprising, I know. And after seeing the results today, I can assure you I'll never try again." He came over to give her a kiss.

But Hermione wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying. She got the main point, yes, but what she was wondering was why her detectors hadn't worked today. Was it possible that they had been disconnected? Did Draco know about them? If he did, then he was putting up a really good show of innocence.

"I'm thinking that we should get a house elf now and I won't have you disagreeing with me this time. Forget that spew trash talk."

_Did he know?_ Hermione wondered. "Um, I made some pasta before leaving," she said in an effort to stop her troubling thoughts. "We can have that instead of your burned-" she looked into the pot but could not figure out what it was. "-whatever it was that you tried to make."

He nodded and said he'd go wash up while she set the table.

As soon as he left the kitchen, Hermione pulled a vile of clear liquid from her purse. She made two dinners plates of pasta and poured the Veritaserum into the one intended for Draco and set the table. When Draco did join her, he had a wine bottle in his hands which he put on the table. Then they seated themselves and ate while making small talk.

"So . . . how is your elves society going?" Draco asked casually.

Hermione chewed slowly and then swallowed before answering calmly, "Its fine. Not a lot of people approve of it though. They think that a house elf's place is only in the kitchens where they should work without payment or any benefits. How's everything at the Department of Mysteries?"

"Mysterious, as usual," Draco replied with a smirk.

A twisted answer; the truth potion was working. Either that or he was able to say what he said because it was true. "Indeed," Hermione said, looking at him in the eye as she said it.

"You know, I tried finding you today," Draco told her offhandedly. "But the ministry had a little trouble finding you."

Hermione's blood chilled as he said it. "Oh?"

"Seems as though your society isn't registered or something."

"Yes . . . we've been trying to get to that but our busy schedules don't allow it to be done."

He just nodded.

By now, Hermione gathered that he either knew about her not-so-little lie or he was trying to find out exactly what it was. She thought it was time to turn the tables right about now. "So, I tried to get an appointment with the Head of your department," she said nonchalantly. "You know, to try and tell him to cut you some slack. I don't like you coming home injured."

He waved away her concern. "No need to worry about me, love. I'm tougher than you think," he said indifferently. "But what happened anyways?"

He was twisting all the answers around! How was she supposed to get anything out of him? Perhaps he had more experience with veritaserum then she thought. At least she knew that he had taken the bait. Maybe now she would finally be able to get some information or get him to reveal himself.

"C'mon, love. Tell me," Draco gently prodded but Hermione could tell he was anxious to know what she'd say next.

"He didn't recognize your name." She saw him pale slightly. "I guess there are so many workers that he can't remember everyone but I did expect him to know you since you do so much." When he didn't say anything, she continued, "Unless, of course, I had the wrong boss. I know there are many in all the departments of the ministry. What's your boss's name?"

**-!-!-!-**

_What's with the all questions today?_ Draco wondered. Had Hermione found out about him as well? The shock that his wife was an opponent had hardly passed when he had stumbled on her clever little detectors as he was walking through the manor gates. He was hoping to have a direct confrontation about it when she came home but since it didn't happen, he had a bottle of spiked wine in close range as a back up plan.

In an effort to close the subject, Draco swallowed the pasta in his mouth and finally answered, "Tom."

He instantly froze. Where had that come from? He saw a flicker of something - triumph? - in Hermione's eyes for a moment before it vanished. Everyone knew that Voldemort's real name was Tom and he had just given away the fact that Voldemort was his boss.

It was time to bring out the wine.

"How about some wine, honey?" he asked her as he grabbed the bottle and went towards her. He didn't even wait for an answer and started pouring two glasses. He handed one to her and clinked his own against it. "Cheers."

He could see Hermione look at the wine suspiciously before hesitantly saying, "Cheers," and taking a sip.

"Do you know Dumbledore?" he asked directly.

"Everyone knows Dumbledore," she answered.

She was playing his game, eh? Well, no one could beat the master.

"What's your mission?" he asked at the same time that Hermione did.

Well . . . seemed as though she was a master at this little game as well.

Instead of answering, he dropped his glass causing it to shatter as it came in contact with the wooden floor. He took out his wand and waved it at the floor. Immediately the glass was mended back and levitated to the table and the mess had disappeared. Next he pointed the wand at Hermione only to discover she was standing and had hers out as well.

"You put veritaserum into that pasta, didn't you?" he asked her.

"I know for a fact that the wine was spiked as well so it's even. Let's call it a draw," she replied.

"Even? I hardly think it would be even if I include those detectors you had installed into the gate," he bit back.

"It's not my fault you didn't notice them before."

"Yes, it's my fault that I didn't inspect the gates of the manor over the last five years."

"Six," she amended automatically before putting on a serious expression. "Now darling, why don't you lower that wand and come with me quietly?" she said in a honeyed voice.

"Au contraire, love," he said just as sweetly. "I would suggest you throwing away that wand lest I have to resort to using force."

"You would dare?" she asked and right then her wand flew out of her hand. "Hey! That's cheating!"

"All's fair in love and war," he said, twirling her wand in his free hand, smirking widely.

He was just advancing on her, when Hermione apparated away.

"Fuck!" he swore looking at the place where she had been seconds ago.

**-!-!-!-**

"No way!" Ginny exclaimed in shock.

"Yes way," Hermione replied calmly, her eyes shut tight.

"Wow . . ."

"I don't think there's anything 'wow' about it, Ginny," Hermione said, snapping her eyes open. "He lied to me! And I'm pretty sure he would have attacked me if I hadn't apparated from the manor. He had my wand!"

"You lied too. . ." Ginny reminded her.

"I know." Hermione sighed. "And I only have five days to complete this mission otherwise Dumbledore's going to give it to someone else. "

"You realize that you might have to eliminate your husband if you want to have any chance at succeeding?"

"Yes, I do. And I'll do it," she said firmly.

"All right," Ginny said doubtfully. "You can sleep in the spare room till you're here. Good night."

"Thanks, Gin. 'Night."

Sometime later, Hermione was looked out at the stars through the enchanted ceiling. "I don't love him," she whispered.

**-!-!-!-**

Draco soon found himself at the door of his best friend's house.

When Blaise opened the door, he just said, "Come in, mate." Once they were inside, he proceeded to ask, "What happened?"

"She got away before I could talk some sense into her," Draco replied.

"I'm sure she would have appreciated that," Blaise remarked. "So, now what are you going to do?"

"Nothing." Upon seeing Blaise's expression, he added, "I'll continue the mission. I know for a fact that Voldemort won't be pleased with another failure. And there is no way I'm putting my life on the line for some woman."

"Alright," Blaise said with a nod. "You can stay here for the night if you want."

Draco nodded his thanks and made his way to the spare room in Blaise's mansion. He found it odd lying in bed alone. He didn't want to admit it, but he missed having Hermione beside him at night.

**-!-!-!-**

**Reviews will be appreciated!**


	5. Nosing Around

"This is hopeless," Hermione muttered, after failing for the seventh time to open the gates of Malfoy Manor. "Damn this thing!" she yelled and kicked it angrily, immediately feeling pain shoot up her toes.

"I guess that husband of yours finally smartened up and checked it out," Hannah remarked. "But now what are we going to do? We need clues to see if any other information can be found regarding the mission."

"Hermione, do you know any of his weaknesses that could help you win against him? Or perhaps you can remember something he mentioned in bed sometime?" Susan asked.

Hermione raised her eyebrows stonily at her colleagues. As far as she had known, her husband had been an Unspeakable; therefore he didn't display any weaknesses - even to his wife. The guy usually had an expressionless mask on his face. What was she supposed to gather from that? And bed? She didn't even want to go there. "No," she bit out. "I think I would have remembered anything that could help me with _my_ mission."

"Okay. We're just going go around this place and see if we can find another possible entrance," they said quickly and rushed away.

"If there was another way to enter this place, I think I would know considering I lived here for six years!" Hermione called to them angrily. Either they really didn't hear her or they were pretending not to have. "Really," Hermione huffed.

"Hermione, I think the real reason they got away is because of you. No offence, but you've been acting really moody this morning. Did you not have your coffee today?" Ginny mocked.

Hermione glared at her. "No." She looked towards the Manor. "Maybe it's the fact that I don't like not knowing. I hate being lied to or deceived and it turns out that the biggest fraud was happening right under my roof!"

"I hope you remember that the deceit went both ways?" Ginny reminded her.

"Mine doesn't count. I told him of my career after he told me that he was an Unspeakable. I had to lie! You can't really trust people from the Department of Mysteries, you know."

"Uh-huh."

"Hey! Over here!" they heard Susan calling from the side of the house.

"Looks like they found something," Ginny said, hurrying to the pair.

"Doubtful," Hermione muttered but followed nonetheless

**-!-!-!-**

"I think I may have found something," Blaise yelled to Draco.

"What?" Draco asked as he stepped into his study.

"A mess," he said humorously. "It seems as though someone was here before us. I'm betting it was your wife and her crew."

"Who else?" Draco mumbled. He rummaged over his already messy desk to see what was missing. The task proved to be difficult because his desk had always been disorganized; something Hermione had chewed him out about many times. Muttering a few powerful unlocking spells, he opened his drawers only to be met by blank sights. All of his work had disappeared. All of his letters to and from fellow Death Eaters had been stolen. Information and parchments regarding past assignments were all gone. And he knew exactly who took it.

"That bitch!"

**-!-!-!-**

"Spinner's End, Spinner's End . . . I can't find it anywhere!" Susan cried in frustration. Her round face was scrunched up and red with the concentration she had been putting into finding 'Spinner's End' for the past two hours. All around her, ministry records were strewn haphazardly.

"It must be!" Hermione said from a shelf of thick directories. "I doubt they'd be using codes names when conversing with each other and that could only mean that it is, in fact, a real place. Come on now, Susan. Wizarding England isn't that big, is it?"

"I've looked all over Wizarding _UK_! Trust me, either this place really is code named for something else, or it's in a muggle neighbourhood. Actually, I'm going to test out the latter theory. . ."

"That's impossible, Susan. As if Voldemort would ever even step into a muggle area. You know how prejudiced he is, thinking of anyone non-magical as -" Hermione's rant was cut short as Susan let out an excited sequel.

"Bingo! I've found it!" Susan yelled triumphantly.

Hermione gaped at her for a few seconds before finally uttering, "Well, that was quick."

**-!-!-!-**

Draco apparated in front of the rundown house he knew so well and knocked with a frantic speed.

The door opened to reveal the greasy head of Severus Snape. "Draco?" he asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come for evening tea," Draco snapped. "What do you think?" he rushed in the house, pulled Snape in as well and locked the door. "Listen, we've got a bit of a problem. My wife went nosing around my study and took all the parchments from my desk," he explained hurriedly.

"So?" Snape's eyebrows were raised.

"I'm pretty sure your street name was on at least one of them and now that it's in her hands, you need to leave." Seeing Snape's still puzzled face, he sighed. "She's part of that damned Order. And don't you dare say something about it, I only found out about it yesterday myself."

Nodding, Snape practically ran to the back of the house with Draco at his heels. He opened the large ice box in the corner of his kitchen and stepped through, arriving in his potions laboratory.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked angrily. "We haven't got time for you to pack all this!"

Snape ignored him and instead, thrust a small glass into Draco's hand. "Keep quiet and drink this. It will make you invisible for an hour at most. Perhaps we'll be able to figure out what's happening then."

Although Draco failed to see how being invisible would help him make sense of anything, he drank it anyway. A Chilling sensation overcame his body and with a shudder, he faded away.

"I'm going to go upstairs and gather some important items. You stay here and keep an eye out for that wife of yours," Snape said to him as he dashed up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Draco let out a relieved breath. He made his way out of the house and leaned against the back of the front door while keeping a sharp eye for any movement.

15 minutes later, he was still in the same position and there was still only silence around him. He wanted to go check on Snape but didn't want to risk it lest Hermione arrive right at that moment.

Another 15 minutes later, he felt like a stood-up teenager, waiting with wilted flowers in his hands and anger apparent on his face. How dare Snape leave him here all alone? By now, Draco was sure that Snape had left him alone to deal with the problem all on his own. And he was pretty sure that Hermione would be arriving soon too. _And_ with backup.

Off in the distance, there were a bunch of loud noises, uncannily similar to those of apparition, startling Draco from his thoughts. He took out his wand and noticed that it was floating in mid air. Cursing, he came to the obvious conclusion that the invisibility potion would, of course, only work on him and anyone, magic or muggle, would notice a piece of wood floating in mid air and immediately draw attention to it. Putting the wand back in his robes, he quietly made his way to the source of the noise.

"-could knock and ask."

A trio of robed people (witches, judging by their apparent figures) were unknowingly coming towards him. He instantly recognized Hermione as the one who spoke and saw that she was in the middle of the group, as though being protected.

"No, it's too risky," another girl responded.

"Then maybe you can suggest something better. How about barging into every house around until we find the right one? That'll be mighty efficient," he heard his wife reply scathingly. He couldn't help but smirk at her response. Always sarcastic, that Hermione. He was about ten feet away from them now.

"I didn't mean it like that," the other girl replied defensively.

Draco supposed that now was the time to strike. He carefully guided his wand to the opening of his cloak and pointed it in the direction of the woman left to Hermione. A red light shot out and she fell to the floor, unconscious. Hermione and the witch on the right screamed in surprise. Another flash of red and the other witch fell too.

Hermione whipped out her wand and looked around frantically. As her head swivelled from side from side, she face grew pale in fear. She could see no one was there yet two of her co-workers were laying unconscious on the floor in contradiction to the fact. Already she seemed scared out of her wits at the anonymity of the situation but Draco could not resist the chance to see exactly how much he could provoke her until she snapped.

Little by little, he was starting to appear again. He decided that now was a perfect time to make his presence known.

"Hello, love."

**-!-!-!-**

Hermione froze, recognizing the whisper immediately. Someone was breathing on her neck and she couldn't, for the life of her, seem to pivot and confront him.

_Him._

Her husband; her enemy.

Without another thought, she apparated, not expecting the hand that suddenly grabbed her.

**-!-!-!-**

He saw her beginning to stir and clamped onto her, lest she try and run away. Instead, she had opted to apparate. The suddenness of side-along apparition caused him to sway a bit and in that moment, she ran. He moved to catch her but a wave of nausea hit him at the abrupt movement and he fell on his knees to steady the feeling. By the time he was feeling well enough to stand, she was out of sight and he found himself in the middle of an unfamiliar street. On the pavement in front of him was a piece of parchment. He picked it up and let allowed a small smile to show on his face, repeating the contents of it in his head.

_The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London._


	6. The Ancient House of Black

Draco remembered his mother telling him of her adventures in the Royal House of Black. How she would play hide-and-seek with her sisters when they were children, and how the house was so big and mysterious that it would sometimes take them hours to find each other. How they'd always be making trouble of the deranged house-elf that resided there. How their cousin Sirius would help them play pranks on everyone, children and adults alike. They had lived as a joint family so there had never been any problem finding victims . . .

Now that he was giving the whole situation so much thought, he was able to make some connections and come up with quite a few revelations.

Through the centuries, the House of Black had always been passed onto the eldest male heir of the family. Sirius was supposed to inherit the house - even if he was kicked out of the family - and Sirius had gone to school with part of the generation that was now in the Order. Perhaps he had handed it over to one of them in his will?

It was all too confusing and complicated, but one thing that Draco knew for sure was that the house was very well protected. Many ancestors had put up all sorts of charms and wards around the house throughout the ages.

Perhaps he would revisit the unfamiliar street where he had picked up the parchment and see exactly how powerful those wards really were.

**-!-!-!-**

Hermione frantically searched her pockets for the piece of parchment with The Order's address on it.

She could not find it anywhere.

"No," she moaned in despair.

"What's the matter?" someone asked from behind.

She was supposed to be bringing in new recruits to the Order, but alas, there was no way for them to enter.

"Nothing. I'm going to need you lot to just stand here for a few minutes. I'll be right back."

When she arrived at the Order, her eyes grew wide with realization. She had made sure that she had the address right before they went to ambush the Death Eaters's lair. Therefore, the only place she could have lost it was during that time, seeing as she had brought he recruits as soon as Draco had left. And the possibility that Draco would find that piece of parchment was quite great, if that were the case.

"Damn it all!"

**-!-!-!-**

From what Draco could tell, they were a bunch of graduates. Because there was no way a working person would act so immaturely.

"Hello," he said in greeting.

One of the girls from the group turned around. "Hello," she said, flashing him her pearly whites.

"You know Hermione Malfoy? That woman who was just with you? Could you please tell me where she went?" he asked them.

The girl's smile immediately turned to a frown. "Why? I mean, who are you?"

Draco put on his most charming smile and brought out his hand. "Oh I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself first. My name's Draco Malfoy." The girl shook his hand.

"Malfoy? Oh, so you're related to her! I'm Lucy!"

"Well, actually, I'm her husband."

Lucy's eyebrows scrunched together. "But she wasn't wearing a wedding ring," she told him.

"She doesn't wear her wedding ring on her finger. It's on a chain around her neck; much harder to notice. Keeps her hands free to work with and at the same time protects the ring."

That sounded lame even to him. He would do good to finish this fast, lest Hermione come back.

"As I was saying before, I arrived just in time to see her vanish off somewhere. See, today's our anniversary and she thinks I've forgotten so she's been in a foul mood since morning. I'm sure you've noticed."

They nodded.

"Now I just need to find her and wish her and make up." He added a sheepish smile and a shrug just to go with the whole innocent act.

"Aw! That's so sweet!" Lucy squealed.

Draco smirked. He was too good.

"She just disappeared into that space between 11 and 13 Grimmauld Place. And there's no number 12. Freaky, right?"

Draco smiled. "Not really." And with that, he strode away.

**-!-!-!-**

"_Sonorous_! Everybody evacuate immediately! There's an intruder on premises!"

Her message was received with loud of clear. Loud mostly, considering the amount of _POPS _that suddenly started echoing through the empty house.

Filled with guilt at her impromptu mistake, Hermione felt that she could not leave the house until she made sure that everyone had left the building. It was definitely possible that someone in the attic was so absorbed with the clutter of weapons that they did not hear her announcement.

After searching the whole house thoroughly, she was just about to apparate when she heard the painting of Mrs. Black start screeching.

"How dare you enter-" there was a pause during which Hermione started descending the stairs slowly to see Mrs. Black's next victim.

"Oh my! You look exactly like a young version of Lucius Malfoy!"

Hermione froze on the stairs. Unfortunately, she stopped on the creakiest step and immediately drew attention to herself.

"Tell me boy," the portraits was saying, "Are you his son?"

However, Draco only had eyes for Hermione at that moment.

"Nice hideout," he drawled as he walked towards the stairs.

"Better than yours," she snapped, stepping back the whole time, wand behind her back.

"Ah, but I don't have one. I happen to live in a luxurious mansion."

Hermione had reached the top stair now and Draco was at the bottom. She could still apparate right out of there but her curiosity would not let her.

"Whereas _you_," he continued, now on the middle step, "are stuck here in this hovel, all alone with nothing but an old portrait to keep you company." He was only about two steps away from her now and looked as though he would lunge forward any second now.

Hermione gave him a tight smile. "Not everything is as it seems." With that, she apparated away.

She arrived at the Auror office in the Ministry of Magic and found the rest of the Order waiting there for her.

"How could you let this happen?" Lavender shrieked.

"I swear I have no idea how someone as reckless as you got accepted into the order!"

"I can't believe you're one of our best!" another sneered, "Some example you're setting for the rest of us!"

"Ladies!" Dumbledore's loud voice was met with immediate silence. "You have no right to criticize Hermione's actions. This incident will not be repeated. Understood? Now please leave us."

As soon as the last of the people exited, Hermione spoke up, "Sir, I can explain-"

Dumbledore held up his hand. "I don't want any explanations, Hermione. What I want is results. Must I stress exactly how important this mission is? This needs so be done and on time. You have four days and time is ticking by fast. If you are not able to-"

"Don't worry, Sir," Hermione interrupted. "That won't happen. I will complete this mission successfully and _nothing_ is going to stop me."

_Especially not my Death Eater husband._


	7. Magiques

She decided to invite him to _Maqicues_ just for old time's sake. It was where Draco had proposed to her – where their relationship had started – so why not let it end there as well? Besides, there were plenty of witnesses around that would testify against him if he pulled anything. It was definitely a wise choice.

Suddenly, someone brushed past her and, soon enough, he was seated right in front of her.

He had arrived.

After giving him a nod of acknowledgement, Hermione leaned back and observed him. He hadn't changed a bit since she had met him here six years ago. Well, perhaps his eyes had gotten more wrinkled around the edges, the lines around his mouth a bit more prominent, his-

"Take a picture, why don't you?" Draco suddenly snapped. "It'll serve as a remembrance after you've gone and killed me. That is what you plan on doing, right?"

Was there a trace of bitterness in his voice? "Why ask when you already know the answer?" She answered coolly.

"Confirmation," he shrugged. "So, why call me here after your great escape this afternoon? Forget to say something back there? Like how you had cursed the house to self-destruct upon your departure?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "You're still alive, aren't you? And not visibly injured either…Anyways, I just wanted so say that I want a divorce."

He leaned back too. "Done. Is that it then?"

"Well," she started, examining her nails instead of looking at him, "It would be awfully kind and generous of you to back out of your mission, whatever it is, and leave Longbottom to me."

"Ah, but you forget, sweetheart. I'm not the awfully kind and generous one; that's more you."

"Appearances can be deceiving." Now Hermione looked straight up at him. "Do what you want, but Longbottom _will_ be mine."

"If you say so." He gave her one of his infuriating smirks, and then looked toward the full dance floor as a new song came on. "How about a last dance?"

Hermione looked at him suspiciously before taking his hand. Funnily enough, Draco looked at her suspiciously, too.

The dance was a fast waltz, something that both Draco and Hermione used to their advantage. Draco's left hand gripped Hermione's waist tightly while his right hand crushed her left hand. Meanwhile, Hermione slid her right hand up his chest until it finally rested on his shoulder. Nothing on his upper body.

They moved gracefully, stepping forward, stepping back. Gliding and twirling, and all the while touching with roaming hands, searching. He found a gun strapped to her thigh and spelled it away. Hermione knew that he would never carry a gun so she didn't bother looking for one. What she was looking for, his wand, she didn't find. He didn't find hers either.

"Any last words?" Hermione asked him.

"Why do you think our marriage didn't work out?"

"You mean, aside from the fact that we were enemies all along? Perhaps your tendency to ignore me soured it. Years of silence can never lead to anything good."

"They kept us alive."

She could not say anything to that.

"Personally, I think it was because you treated it more like an assignment. To manoeuvre through, and then execute."

"Of course it's entirely _my_ fault. You had absolutely nothing to do with it, did you?"

"I tried to make it work."

"No, _I_ tried."

Their gazes were locked, unblinking. They stopped and stood staring at each other while everyone danced around them until Hermione turned her head.

"Excuse me," she said and walked away.

However, Draco observed, she didn't walk towards the exit or the apparition point. She seemed to be walking to the back of the restaurant, where the kitchens were. Two seconds later, he understood why. Thick and heavy smoke started coming through the back, everyone rushing away from it. Amidst it all, he could have sworn he saw her bushy mane walk to the apparition point.

And then he felt it. His jacket was feeling very tight, very itchy, and very hot; very uncomfortable, like he was being suffocated. His breath got stuck in his chest and it was only by sheer willpower that was he able to use his inner magic to make the jacket disappear. Them he rushed over to the apparition point and was gone in the smoke.

**-!-!-!-**

It was quiet. Too quiet.

As soon as Draco was outside the manor, he put a camouflaging spell on himself and stealthily made his way into the manor. He wasn't about to take his chances with a witch like Hermione.

Inside the manor, Hermione was waiting for her soon-to-be-dead husband. Tonight was the night. It _had_ to be it. Dumbledore and the rest of the team were all depending on her victory. If she didn't get him now, he would undoubtedly get her.

As both of them snuck around the house looking for each other, one thought entered both of their minds.

This had to be goodbye.

**-!-!-!-**

**A/N: Oh, my God. It has been AGES since I was last on and they've changed the members' pages since then! Took me a while to find my way around them but I guess I deserved it for being gone so long. Well, I'm back now and its time for new beginnings.**


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